Industry Summary Articles

Gérard Morin Vice President, Professional Services, Esterel Technologies

Gérard Morin joined Esterel Technologies (Esterel) in October 2001 as an industry marketing manager. Between 2002 and 2005, he was Vice President of Product Marketing for the SCADE product line. In 2005 he assumed the position of Vice President of Professional Services, directing embedded software projects and managing the development of classroom training courses and self-learning material. Gérard specializes in software and systems engineering processes. He has written handbooks, papers, and training material focused on how the SCADE product line supports safety-critical standards such as: DO-178C,...

Dr. Vincent Talon, Chief of UET Modeling System 0D, Renault

Dr. Vincent Talon is currently Renault’s Chief of UET Modeling System 0D, a role he assumed in 2013. In this role Dr. Talon is involved in architectural definition, control, validation, and tuning. Previously, he was involved in various activities at Renault including model development for HCCI combustion, a model system for control design, and control and tuning for the engine and driveline department. He is also a recognized expert for model system 0D. Dr. Talon's Ph.D. thesis looked into the gasoline engine model using...

Michael Bloor, Chief Operating Officer, ESI North America

Michael Bloor has led ESI’s business activities in North America as Chief Operating Officer since 2005 focused on growth and consolidation of ESI’s engineering simulation and process design products. Michael joined ESI in 2002 following the acquisition of Vibro-Acoustic Sciences with the responsibility of Global Business Development for the ESI acoustic products. Prior to joining ESI Michael led the Vibro-Acoustic Sciences Sales and Marketing team as Director, responsible for global sales strategy and performance. Michael has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Clarkson University.

Dr. Jan M. Leuridan, CEO, LMS, A Siemens Business

Dr. Jan Leuridan joined LMS International in 1984 as Research and Development Manager and was subsequently appointed to the position of Chief Technical Officer for the company. Since 1987, he also served as a member of the Board of Directors of LMS. Following the acquisition of LMS by Siemens in 2013, Dr. Leuridan became Senior Vice President, Simulation & Test segment, Siemens PLM Software.

Dr. Leuridan received an engineering degree from the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Leuven in 1980. He later received...

Fouad el Khaldi, Ph.D., General Manager of Industry Strategy & Innovation, ESI Group

Dr. Fouad el Khaldi joined ESI Group (ESI) in 1988 and is currently, General Manager of Industry Strategy & Innovation, a position he assumed in 2010. With over 30 years of experience in the CAE industry Fouad has undertaken several different roles of increasing responsibility at ESI including the role of Senior Consultant for a Joint Venture created by IBM Japan and ESI in Tokyo where he was in charge of developing a new solution for sheet metal forming simulation in collaboration...

Christoph Bräuchle, Business Development Director, PTC

As Business Development Director in PTC’s Automotive Center of Excellence Europe, Christoph Bräuchle is responsible for the Systems Engineering strategy and related areas. He represents PTC in research projects such as the EU-funded CRYSTAL project and works with academic and industry partners.

In his previous positions at PTC, he worked as Product Management Director and Senior Consultant with leading automotive OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers. He also led the initiative to support safety related development and have TÜV SÜD Automotive Certification of Integrity for achieving ISO 26262 and IEC 61508...

Gerard Litjens, Director of European Operations, CIMdata

Gerard Litjens has over 30 years of experience in information and communication technology, product and plant lifecycle management, and other business-enabling solutions for research, engineering, and manufacturing organizations worldwide. He has held various positions in consulting, management, business development, business analysis, education, and ROI development of PDM/PLM, supply chain management, and ERP solutions.

As a CIMdata consultant, Gerard provides in-depth analysis, strategic and tactical business planning, market and channel development, and training services to a range of IT, PLM, CAD/CAM, and ERP solution providers, systems integrators, and resellers....

John MacKrell, Vice President and Systems Engineering Lead, CIMdata

John MacKrell has over 40 years of experience in the application of computer-based solutions to engineering and manufacturing, with more than 20 years at CIMdata. He has held senior positions in product management, marketing, research and development, and consulting.John's experience includes marketing and product management, market analysis, solid modeling, and data management systems.

John consults on PLM strategies; best practices; collaboration and knowledge sharing; PLM ROI and benefits; and developing end-user plans for the acquisition and implementation of PLM technologies – including PDM, data visualization, collaboration,...

Donald Tolle, Director, Systems Engineering & Simulation Consulting Practice, CIMdata

Don Tolle is Director, Systems Engineering & Simulation Consulting Practice, for CIMdata. Don brings to CIMdata and his clients more than 30 years of PLM industry experience in the disciplines of new product development and virtual product development working with global manufacturing companies in the automotive, aerospace & defense, industrial equipment, marine, consumer products, medical products, and high-tech electronics industries.

Don has held various management positions in the CAE and the broader PLM software and services industry involved in strategic planning and M&A, product management,...

Keith Meintjes, Ph.D., Practice Manager, Simulation & Analysis, CIMdata

Dr. Keith Meintjes has over 30 years of experience in the development and application of simulation tools to transform product development. His achievements include novel methods for combustion simulation, patents for engine design, and strategic planning for the world’s largest commercial HPC facility.

Keith joined CIMdata when they acquired CPDA, where he was Research Director for CAE and managed CPDA’s Design/Simulation Council. Previously, he spent nearly 30 years at General Motors.

At GM he was responsible for the engineering requirements for GM’s Global CAE IT infrastructure and...